Kobe Bryant is one of the most iconic figures in basketball history. He is sorely missed by the entire community of basketball players, coaches, executives, and fans. Kobe’s impact on the game stretched beyond the court as he served as an inspiration to so many people with everything he was achieving after retirement as well.
Even though he had his family and ventures outside basketball, his focus and love for the game never switched. He worked out with many young players we see in the league now, like Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and others. Similarly, during his playing days, he would often work out with players around the league like Jamal Crawford.
At the ‘Crawsover’ pro-am hosted by Crawford, Landon Buford asked him about the upcoming documentary on Kobe. The legendary sixth man opened up on how he looks at Kobe, saying that the Lakers great was his hero. He also talked about how it felt to have Bryant participate in the ‘Crawsover’.
Jamal Crawford on @kobebryant’s legacy:
“The man that he was-was second to none. Our relationship took off after [@thecrawsover] texting talking & he’s someone I consider a hero even though he was a couple years older,”@JCrossover tells me.#LakeShow #NBATwitter #Kobebryant pic.twitter.com/1AJAxOjMCT
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) August 11, 2022
“I think they’ll see the man he was. Everybody sees the fierce competitor and how he competes but the man he was, was second to none. I was so happy when he came here, he didn’t have to or have any reason to. Someone he was with was like ‘no, Kobe can’t go’. Kobe was like ‘Jamal is playing, I am taking my family and watching him play at the Crawsover’. For a lot of people, that’s the only time they’ve seen Kobe. It was an amazing experience and our relationship took off after that, texting and talking. He is someone I consider a hero, even though he’s just a year or two older than me, he was a hero to me.”
The way Crawford looks at Kobe is the exact way millions of basketball aspirants looked at Kobe during his heyday. The league will always push to commemorate the memory of the legendary Lakers guard, so hopefully, the ‘Mamba Mentality’ can be passed on to the next generation of fans who will never get a chance to see the man.
Crawford sorely misses his friend and hero, as is evidenced by the clip. That is a pain the entire basketball world bears together as the ‘Black Mamba’ has left a hole in everyone’s hearts that cannot be replaced.
